February 2016

February has come and gone, leaving behind happy couples, sad singles, and some really hot, awesome music singles! Here’s the list for the past month.

"Gold" – Ria Mae (Jordan XL Remix)

“I didn’t see it coming / just tiny thoughts and now they run your mind”

What a sad song. Break ups, man.

“Remember when I was gold / remember when I was gold”

She’s really stretching here. I can only hope the unmentioned male she’s singing to appreciates it.

With Diplo-esque funky jazz sax background solos and an up-tempo electronic-drum beat that nicely compliments its melancholic nature, this remix of “Gold” really tugs at the heartstrings in a dancey kind of way.

Ria Mae, the vocalist, is from Nova Scotia, Canada, and Jordan XL, the DJ who remixed this track, is apparently some kind of ghost that doesn’t exist on the Internet.

"L.A. Girlz" – Weezer

“Does anybody love / anybody else / much as I / love you baby”

It’s a bit cliché of a title, but I can’t help but think back to old Weezer when I hear this song (i.e. Blue album/Pinkerton era). It has a simple rock beat, as is typical with Weezer songs, but it still generates that feel-good teenage angst so common in their early music. It’s nice to see this band make a comeback like this. I, for one, was a huge fan of them back in the day, and it was much to my chagrin when they fell out of the hive mind’s favor (hive mind being the collective consciousness of music fans).

Weezer formed in L.A. in 1992, and are probably best known for their self-titled Blue Album, with hits such as “The Sweater Song” and “Buddy Holly.”

"Someone Who Can Dance" – Icona Pop

“I want someone who can dance / not someone I can talk to”

This depressing mantra is repeated verbatim and continuously throughout this fun, upbeat, catchy pop tune, and despite the harrowing nature of its message (Author’s note: I am a bad dancer and good at talking i.e. doomed) the song holds strong throughout with jungle bass beats and a Kesha-esque vocalist.

Icona Pop is an electropop duo from Sweden, made up of Caroline Hjelt and Aino Jawo. They came together in 2009 and hit it big with the Top 40 hit “I Love It.”

Kate Boy is a synth-pop duo, made up of the Australian Kate Akhurst and the Swedish Markus Dextegen. Their debut studio album, One, was released November 2015.

"Every Alcove" – Grandpa Egg

Okay, so here’s the thing, I know this guy. As in, actually know him. He’s a bartender at the Local Pub House in Kent, OH. I don’t know how he got the job, because he isn’t much of a conversationalist, but goddamn, when he sent me his music I was blown away. He rereleased this song as a single this month just so I could review it, and it is psychedelic A.F.

There’s this whole backstory on his songs, involving a girl named Sally, a grasshopper, and a praying mantis. I could get into it, but I think you should just listen to the song and let it speak for itself.

The thing that gets me about his music is that it’s so damn unique. While entirely devoid of the poppy nonsense found so often on FM stations, it still maintains a modern, high production, electronic vibe while never straying from its folksy roots (and to top it all off, Jeb, the vocalist, front man, and everything else for Grandpa Egg, has the voice of a bard at a Renaissance Faire).

I could sit here and wax poetic about the lyrics and whatnot, but I highly recommend you just click the link below and check it out for yourself. I know, I already wrote that, but if you’re still reading this then you haven’t clicked the link!